The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-05-25
ALL FROM COAL TAR.
The Most brilliant Of CnlQrs and the
Sweetest of Substances.

The history of coal tar product is ro.
nance of science. 1t seems strange that the
most beautiful colors now used in the dyeing
of fabrics come from black nasty sub.
stance that soils everything il touches and
which emits a most disagreeable odor.
When benzine naphtha and creosote were
first obtained by distillation of coal tar they
were regarded as wonderful triumphs OF
chemistry, but no one at that time dreamed
how extensive mine of wealth still re-
manned to be worked in so unpromising
Substance In 1856, however, chemist
named Perkins produced from benzine the
first analinc dye known as mauve. The pro-
cess was full of difficulties, but these were so
rapidly overcome that within a year after
the discovery of mauvein the chemist labo-
ratory it was being used by silk dyers. Other
chemists at once began researches in the same
direction, and the next discovery was that of
the beautiful color magenta, which was pro-
duced in the laboratory Of M. Verguin, a
French chemist. In 1861, beautiful violet
and blue colors were produced by French
chemists, but the process OF manufacture
was speedily initiated in England and Ger
many.
The researches of two German chemists,
Graebe and Liebermann, resulted in a
further discovery of great scientific import
ance. The most important dye stuff has
for ages been the root of the madden plant.
The chemical constituent of madden which
gives to 1t its coloring matter Is known to
chemists as alizarine, and the two German
chemists discovered that this was q chemical
related to anthracine, product formed OF
the distillation Of coal This discovery was
speedily followed by the artificial production
Of the madden dye from coal tar, and
the manufacture was begun, which has ex-
tensively superseded the use of the fnadder
root. In 1869 the price paid for Ifiadder
ranged from ten to sixteen cents pottnd, and
now the equivalent in artificial madder dye
can be obtained at the rate of one cent q
pound. Since the discovery of artificial
alizarine the production of coal-tar colors has
been rapidly extended, so that the brilliant
scarlet and red dyes of cochineal, the intense
blue of indigo, and the yellows of quercitron
and safflower, are all artificially produced at
an expense far less than that at which nat
ural colors can be procured and IL is the
belief that coal-tar colors are destined sooner
or later to supersede, as the primary source
of color, all the costly dye woods hitherto
used in the ornamentatiOn of textile fabrics.
The most astonishingd evelopmento fchem-
ical science in this production is Of very re-
cent date, and was accomplished in the
laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University
at Baltimore, but the tests and processes by
which the manufacture is being brought
into commercial use are being carried on in
Germany, whittier the chemist who made
the discovery has gone. A substance has
been discovered which has over 800 times the
saccharine strength of ordinary cane sugar.
1t has been designated by the appropriate
name of saccharine. From accounts that APP
pear of the extraordinary sweet pungency OF
this substance II Is believed that, in combina,
ton with glucose, sugar can be produced
at prices far below that which 1t is possible
10 make cane or grape sugar. 1t is further
more stated that this substance is absolutely
incapable of fermentation, so that fruit pre-
served in it runs no risk of spelling, and its
introduction therefore promises to revolution
ize the canning industry.